Calit2 Da Vinci Detective Headlines IDEaS Symposium on Feb. 22

San Diego, Feb. 3, 2011 -- UC San Diego is putting on an innovation show -- actually, an expo and five days of high-level symposia open to the public -- and the campus selected Calit2 research scientist Maurizio Seracini to kick off the series of evening presentations on Feb. 22 with a talk on "A Future for the Past: Using Science to Safeguard Our Cultural Heritage." Seracini is also the founding director of the Calit2-based Center of Interdisciplinary Science for Art, Architecture and Archaeology (CISA3).

CISA3 Director Maurizio Seracini, in front of the HIPerSpace wall at Calit2

Five decades ago, the University of California, San Diego was founded with an idea—and a large dose of innovative spirit. As UC San Diego marks its 50th Anniversary, the university welcomes the campus and local community to Innovation Day Expo and Symposia (IDEaS) Feb. 22-25 to celebrate and share the exciting discoveries, breakthroughs and innovation emerging from UC San Diego. The week of free events will feature dynamic leaders in the arts, sciences, technology, medicine and education who are making a positive impact in San Diego, the nation and the world.

“Innovation is central to who we are and what we do at UC San Diego,” said Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “From the university’s founders to our current freshmen class, the desire to explore, create and achieve is a common bond we all share.”

The Feb. 22-24 symposia, a series of dynamic talks by groundbreaking innovators, will lead up to the Innovation Day Expo on Friday, Feb. 25, featuring hands-on exhibits and the opportunity for students and community members to engage and network with industry leaders and innovators. UC San Diego alumnus Kip Fulbeck, ’88, M.F.A. ’92, the world renowned spoken word artist, filmmaker and author exploring multiracial identity, will present the expo keynote address: “What Are You? The Changing Face of America.” Featured on CNN, MTV, “The Today Show” and NPR, Fulbeck has written four books, directed 12 short films and performed and exhibited in more than 20 countries. Fulbeck will be available to sign books following his performance.

IDEaS’s full agenda of free talks and events, which are open to the public, includes the following. More information is available at www.50th.ucsd.edu:

UC San Diego’s Campus Community Centers have forged an innovative partnership which has become a national model to enhance diversity, community building and social justice in higher education. Free lunch provided.

7 p.m. - A Future for the Past: Using Science to Safeguard Our Cultural Heritage

Uncover mysteries surrounding the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli and more with UC San Diego alumnus, National Geographic Fellow and “da Vinci detective” Maurizio Seracini, ’73, of UC San Diego’s California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), and director of CISA3. Seracini's public lecture will take place in the Price Center Ballroom West on the UCSD campus.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23

Noon - Educating Future Innovators for Social Justice

From establishing new charter schools to fostering the next generation of leaders in the classroom, UC San Diego trains leading innovators in education, leveraging their talents and experiences to make educational change to better California. Free lunch provided.

A distinguished panel of Nobel laureates share their unexpected paths to discovery and innovation—breakthroughs that have had a positive impact around the globe.

THURSDAY, FEB. 24

Noon - Educating Future Innovators for Social Justice

As UC San Diego forges ahead into the next half century, a diverse campus community is essential for the university to stay at the forefront of innovation and find solutions to challenges facing the world. Free lunch provided.

7 p.m. - Creating a Healthier Future: Innovations to Defeat Disease

From powerful new treatments to cure cancer and reverse degenerative brain disease and spinal cord injury to revolutionary advances in robotics and minimally invasive surgery, discoveries in the UC San Diego Health Sciences are shaping the future of health care.

UC San Diego students and community members will meet face-to-face with world renowned leaders, scientists and researchers as part of the interactive, hands-on networking expo.

All events are free and open to the public. Find more information and register for the symposia at www.50th.ucsd.edu. Symposia held Feb. 22-24 will be held in the Price Center West Ballroom. The Feb. 25 Innovation Day Expo, featuring keynote speaker Kip Fulbeck, will be held in RIMAC Arena. Register for the Innovation Day Expo at www.boxoffice.ucsd.edu. For questions, call (858) 534-6386 or email ideas@ucsd.edu.